The Algebra Benefit

What is Algebra?

Algebra is a broad category of mathematics that uses abstraction by replacing letters for numbers. This abstraction is the very reason why most people find algebra scary and too difficult to handle and it is the same reasons why some pupils find it fun to play around with. topics of algebra range by working through simple tasks such as factoring trinomials and eventually progressing on to finding the inverse of a matrix. Most individuals start to study Algebra by adding, subtracting, reducing and simplifying fractions. They then move on to understanding equivalent fractions, finding Least Common Multiples (LCM) and converting fractions to decimals.

Oh no! It’s Exponents, Radicals and Graphing

There are many higher level subjects. To start off with there are exponents. A power is the tiny number placed to the right and slightly above a number or algebraic expression. In this example (x + y)3 where the 3 is the power and denotes the power to which that number is raised. The above algebraic expression is read as, x plus y to the third power. While working with powers you will oftentimes come across exercises that require you to add, subtract, multiply and divide . You can work with fractional and negative exponents. If that isn’t enough to make your head spin, then you can move on to radicals. A radical, in simple terms, is the reversing of an exponent. The V beside 4 denote a radical expression which means, the square root of 4, which equals 2. The reverse exponential equation is 2^2 which is read, 2 to the 2nd power, and equals 4. Additionally, powers can be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided by radicals. Radicals can be changed into powers and exponents back into roots. If exponents and roots aren ‘t enough, there is always graphing. Start with graphing straight lines and observing if the line is horizontal or vertical or neither. Another question to ask is whether the line has an x-intercept or a y-intercept Can you find the slope of the line? you master the mathematical art of graphing, you will find a whole new world filled with parabolas and hyperbolas.

Want Help?

If you are learning algebra and this all seems a little too much, don’t fret. It’s time to look around because there exists a wide array of resources that is able to help you master the theme. The tradition is to settle for a math tutor, but the cutting-edge algebraic software are no different. In fact, they are as good as math tutors. Know that frustration is not your only friend because any of these tools can assist you become an algebra expert in no time.

Advancing Your Algebra Skills

After an exclusive research over the rationale behind the maximum school dropouts, a consistency was found in the answers of the majority of the participants pointing towards Algebra. The proficiency of knowledge of the teacher is not merely sufficient for pupils to understand the algebraic concepts, nor it is sufficient to rekindle interest about the subject. It’s the way; the subject matter is explained to its recipient which leads a lot for developing interest in the discipline matters.

What is it?

A brief introduction of Algebra would be a arm of mathematics which replaces letters for numbers; algebraic equation is a scale. Algebra includes real numbers, complex numbers, matrices and vectors.

The Different Domains

Generally, algebra spreads across many domains of mathematics. some such areas are Multiplying exponents, dividing exponents, Solving non-linear equations , Finding Greatest common factor or GCM, Multiplying, Adding, Subtracting fractions and many more.

If the above mentioned areas are already putting butterflies in your stomach, I hope that the definitions to follow will relieve your anxiety and give real perception in to the content.

Exponents are just shorthand for denoting multiplication of identical factors. Fractions are equally interesting and actually are used when representing numbers that describe the parts of a whole. Many such similar areas in algebra may sound scary at first, but once you understand the simple concept behind it, you will be delighted by its purpose. To put down a few more items - Mixed numbers, Quadratic formula, Graphing linear inequalities, solving compound in equalities, Factoring binomials, and Factoring polynomials; are all algebraic expressions.

Although you may find it confounding to understand mixed numbers, you may be startled to find out that they are a type of fractions. Graphing linear inequalities states its function pretty clearly by its name. Similarly there are many other algebraic areas which are really interesting to work with.

How to Find a Private Instructor

If you are interested in exploring the domain of algebraic expressions yet do not have a private instructor to help you in the operation, leave your worries behind since online tutorials will come for your rescue. These lessons emphasize the practical ways rather than the technicalities, presenting time-tested techniques. Algebraic helper software packages can assist you in the step-by-step process of figuring and working through math sums in a systematic, stepwise way while supplying examples and explanations for all steps involved.

Safeguard Your Firm during the Course of a Slump

In a market decline, lack of confidence and calamitous predictions may cause you to become inactive, but this is also a time when you can be one step in front of your competition as you change to prevailing tendencies in your market. Clients still have desires, and you will need to improve you trade technique and revise your advertising operations to tally with the present conditions if you aim to ride the wave victoriously. Here are a number of tips that should help.

Decide your accurate cash position, and take a few pre-emptive moves. If you are able to release a number of monetary reserves, this may permit you to out-spend your rivals and realize your firm’s goals.

Take notice that reducing capital spending and human resources arbitrarily may damage your customer base and weaken your location in the marketplace. Be certain that several tough choices you make to guarantee your short-term endurance are well-thought-out, and that they do not clash with your overall business plans. If you’re really feeling the strain, why not consider a job where you can work from home.

Be conscious of the effect the downturn is imposing on your customers, and form the required alterations. For example, you may aim to establish an instalment payment plan for your high-priced services or merchandise. Since your publicity account is limited, focus on maintaining good relationships with your dedicated customers, and keep in mind that word-of-mouth recommendations often produce new business.

Don’t be reluctant to be innovative, and avoid cutting your R&D budget. New ideas, goods, and services may be exactly the solution to your triumph when business begins to increase. Concentrate on the most productive elements of your organization, and your most important clients as well, and you should know what is indispensable and what is not.

Remember that, in a slump you may be able to attain a number of your direct rivals, businesses that may become critical in your distribution network, or other elements in your supply chain. Research has revealed that when acquirements are made cautiously in a decline, your shareholders could reap the benefits of this tactic, because this tendency does not have an effect on every industry, nor is it experienced universally.

Do not dismiss (or steer clear of hiring) an entire sector of employees. Instigating a recruitment freeze now will result in a scarcity of skilled managers later on. Also, several of your of your competitors’ previous employees might be hunting for new employment because of the decline, and they may be compatible with your organization.

Be aware that your existing workers require motivation and a shot in the arm to their spirits. Labour to build an authentic team spirit, and keep them concerned in doing a good quality job. That way, it may be easier to hold on to them when the economy improves and more work prospects arise.

Basic Details about Exactly What Consumers Must Realize in the Merchant Account Marketplace

The merchant account market is a really competitive niche and that’s not unexpected taking into account that almost everyone nowadays is making use of cards. The fact is that this may cause a challange for individuals that are trying to get themselves the best merchant account, simply because a number of firms aren’t 100% honest regarding their charges.Lots will in fact offer extremely low cost introductory rates that seem really fantastic when folks initially sign up, however, later they learn that these rates are only obtainable for an initial period or with certain unique cirumstances.In addition there may well be additional fees that get added in individuals accounts together with the rates. These kind of further costs may include items like tansaction fees and statement charges.Folks need to join up with firms that will give consultations instead of sales talk. For folks who wish to get an idea on exactly what they ought to be trying for in the industry then people might try typing in something such as Merchant warehouse reviews when they are searching for the best merchant accounts. That shall allow them to get a very decent appreciation of what exactly they need to to be searching for.

Human Cultural Evolution

If we think about it at this juncture, clearly there is little to commend this Judaeo/ Christian/Islamic God if he is represented by the people who led this church. Pagans have a far better history and stand foursquare and ‘head and shoulders’ above this God of this often re-written Bible. The separation of man from his soul; man from his equal (woman); man from Nature and man from most all that is good; is all I see! Maybe Melchizedek or some other Biblical character (like the Mormon secret society is named after) will be raised up and made a new savior. Maybe it will be John the Baptist (the Johannites and Benjaminites) or it might even be one of the censored people of the Bible like Jasher who will be re-cycled and make it appear they’ve changed. Whatever it is, I don’t want the same structure and would like to see people DOING what Jesus did. Thinking for themselves and communing with his soul ‘within’ to touch the beauty in all nature!

We can’t expect people to read such a totally different picture of history and not challenge our ideas. We are including the best scholars we can and yet there will be many who are so threatened they will say all kinds of bad things about us. We know that there are risks and that the ‘powers that be’ will not help make this ’stuff’ become common knowledge. The Hermetic ‘cults’ of Egypt and Greece that were so popular when people were allowed to follow knowledge (more) in the early Hellenistic times were from Isis and Osiris. They were the founders of Egypt who were not Gods. Like Moses and Jesus who the rabbis tell us became the object of hero worship so it has often been with great people once they are dead. Priests take the peoples’ good opinion of their heroes and turn them into ‘cults’ with themselves as the key interpreters.

Readers who study hard and have an open mind will find a veritable mine field of ’stuff’ to try to sift through in order to find any essence of truth. I see some great truth might exist as I contemplate the naturally growing nanotubes and lattices or helixes that all energy manifests through. The whole universe vibrates according to an intelligent design such as mathematically demonstrated by Dembski. There is no reason to have made Darwin out to be a pure evolutionist. His Theory of Love is just as important. Although he was forced to differentiate himself from Lamarck he was in fact inspired by him. Few enough are the scientists who see there are divergent forces at work in all truthful outcomes. The quality of energy is as important as the quantity of energy, in whatever forces impact mutation. It is not unreasonable to say there is a collective force with purpose in some Divinely Providential construct. It is folly however, to think a mere human might fully comprehend it. That kind of ideology smacks of religious claptrap, I know. Nonetheless I propose there is merit in Dembski and all open-minded evaluations of what might be. We are often seeing the science or present fad therein proclaims an absolute proof that is subsequently proven false. I like the atomic physicists who were called atom-mysticists at first. Neils Bohr was one of them and he observed something like the following: “A great truth has an opposite, which is also true. A trivial truth has an opposite which is only a falsehood.”

We have endured the ‘experts’ of mechanistic professionalism far too long. Their ego has made them cling to fads and fictions with the most ignorant among us. When Edison’s phonograph was presented to the Paris Academy of Sciences they throttled the presenter as they claimed he was a ventriloquist. At the end of the 19th Century a Patent Office Official said they should close down because everything that could be discovered had been already patented. This is the kind of sunshine law that all bureaucracies should install but not because they are right about no more inventions being possible. Even worse is the early 20th Century Britannica proclaiming torture was a thing of the past in ‘civilized’ Europe? Clearly we must do our own thinking.

“Although Darwin was in the habit of repudiating violently any intimation that he had profited from Lamarck, we have already seen that he was acquainted at an early age with English versions of the latter’s work and in 1845 there is a reference in an unpublished letter to Lyell (Biblio: In the possession of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.) regarding ‘my volumes of Lamarck.’” (1)

Lamarckian evolutionary theory allows for the mix of creation and the impact of directed creative and psychic or soulful participation. If God is everything and we all act in concert, there is a powerful collective force to be reckoned with. We might even change the nature of our Noble leaders by holding them in the light. Let us not cling to theory that faith or fad alone limits and selects facts to fit the prevailing ‘norm’. Dembski must not be censored and censured by the biologists who fight to maintain their stranglehold on evolutionary theory. Charles Fort and Arthur Koestler are as wise as any who have ‘observed’ in the last century and they would not encourage such censure, I am sure. Creation should not be laid at the feet of God and we are part of God, we must act responsibly and with right action and thought. Come with me, and bring an open-mind that you can assimilate and later test. I will endeavour to see the ‘light’ in all its harmonizing glory. Barthold Niebuhr put the adventure in these relevant words:

“He who calls what has vanished back again into being, enjoys a BLISS like that of

creating.”

Thor Heyerdahl was such a person. His insight changed a lot of academic attitudes as he proved many things held sacred were anything but correct. We need to provide far better reason for a change in opinions than the prevailing paradigm if only because they have such a stranglehold on opinion. The propagandists have many writers and academics at their beck and call. This has been true for many millennia, and they have had the ability to destroy most evidence that would disprove their fictions or myths. That is one reason why linguistics and botany or other forensic tools are the best evidences for our effort to present an alternative history. Even when a 99% archaeological certainty that fits facts and established criteria to keep much truth out of the realm of accepted evidence - such as the Roman statue or head found in Mexico - there are those who debunk it or make it seem unimportant.

My personal knowledge of statues at Chichen Itza convinces me there were many Etruscan and Greek artisans at work in Central America. If you ever go there be sure to drop in on the Villas Archaeologique. As you read Heyerdahl in the following quote be cognizant that five separate forensic labs have concurred that cocaine from Peru was part of the diet the mummies of Egypt enjoyed. Balabanova was well aware of the implications of this upon world history. That is why she had all the other labs test her results. Lanning provides artefacts detailing those involved in this trade. These secrets were very important to the potion makers or pharmacists of the ancient world. Hallucinatory drugs probably started the Phoenicians down this road a long time before Egypt. Our artefacts and evidence on stone and bas-reliefs includes the ancient handshake of the Phoenician enterprise that I think Moses and his family benefited from for a very long time.

“Preconceived opinions on the lack of maritime activity in pre-Spanish America have also affected the botanical discussions of the origin of the common garden bean, ‘Phaseolus vulgaris’. Last century Knicke, in a paper on the home of the garden bean, pointed out that this crop plant was formerly generally accepted as having been cultivated in Europe by the ancient Greeks and Romans, under the name of Dolickos, Phaseolus, etc. The cultivation of the same bean among the Aborigines of America was therefore explained as the result of its post-Columbian introduction from the Old World by the early Spaniards. (2) This was the theory until Wittmack discovered in 1880 the common garden bean among the archaeological excavations of Reiss and Stbel at the prehistoric cemetery of Ancon, Peru. (3) It was there found interred as food with mummy burials long antedating the European discovery of America. Here was suddenly ample proof of the pre-European cultivation of ‘Phaseolus’ in America, and beans were subsequently recovered from pre-Incan sites along the entire coast of Peru. At this time, however, pre-Columbian specimens of the ‘European’ bean were no longer accessible. The view was taken, therefore, that the Old World ‘Phaseolus’ must after all have originated in aboriginal ‘America’, and been carried back thence to Europe by the early Spaniards. (4)

{Some have gone so far as to say that bird droppings are the result of all these plant migration. The Yam or American sweet potato turned the tide for the champion of Euro-centric history in botany and zoology. He had to confess he had been wrong after decades of fighting the point. Why then do we celebrate the SLAVER Columbus? Is it not to maintain a colonial secret of deceit upon which our sovereign nations are founded? The Incans had a style of government that utopian philosophers like Sir Francis Bacon used as the model in writing about possible forms of great government.}

More recently Hutchison, Silow and Stephens pointed out, with corroborative botanical evidence, that the ‘Phaseolus’ beans represent but one more indication of contact between the Old and New World before Columbus. (5) The same problem concerns varieties of the lima bean, ‘Phaseolus lunatus’, growing wild in Guatemala and common in the earliest Chimu and Nazca graves of coastal Peru. In 1950 Sauer points to certain very early genetic peculiarities of a race of lima beans of primitive characteristics long under cultivation in parts of Indonesia and Indo-China, and says: ‘If, then, south-eastern Asia should prove to be a reservoir of the more primitive lima beans, long since extinct in Peru and Mexico, a further problem of the time and manner of trans-Pacific connection is raised by which the American bean was communicated to the native population across the Pacific.’ (6) The same problem is also raised by a related bean, the jackbean, or swordbean, ‘Canavalia’ sp. Stoner and Anderson have called attention to the following: ‘The sword bean (’Canavalia’), widely cultivated throughout the Pacific and always considered to be of Old World origin, is now known from prehistoric sites along the coasts of both South America and Mexico.’ (7) ‘Canavalia’ beans excavated from the stratified deposits at Huaca Prieta on the Pacific coast of Peru, date from between 3000 and 1000 BC. (8) Sauer states that its archaeological distribution and relation to wild species now indicate the jackbean as a New World domesticate. (9)

The above brief survey will show that, not only has anthropological thought for nearly a century been biased by ethno-botanical evidence, but to a quite considerable extent anthropological presuppositions have similarly affected American botany. The literature on the origin and spread of certain American and Pacific island cultigens demonstrates that many botanical assumptions have been based on the conviction that the New World was isolated from the rest of the world prior to the voyage of Columbus. Similarly, it has been taken for granted that only Indonesian craft could move eastwards into the open Pacific, whereas the culture of the South American people was presumably confined to their own coastal waters due to the lack of seaworthy craft. The material reviewed above shows that there is adequate evidence of aboriginal export of American plants into the adjacent part of the Pacific island area… Merrill favours Africa as the original homeland of the gourd, and proposes that it reached America across the Atlantic. (10) If the 13-chromosomed cultivated Old World cotton, together with wild American species, were actually employed in the hybridization of the 26 chromosomed New World cotton species then an overseas introduction from the Old World is by far shorter and easier with the westward drifts across the open Atlantic than against the elements across the six times wider Pacific, where no 13-chromosomed cottons exist. The coconut was relayed straight across the Pacific. If it originated in tropic America where all related genera occur, it must have spread with the earliest Pacific voyagers, since it was present in Indonesia at the beginning of the Christian era. The yam has a similar complete trans-Pacific distribution… the same strong ocean river, sweeping from Mexico straight to the Philippines should be taken into account.” (11)

The dyeing industry of Phoenician purple is in Peru as well as Mexico, and it was a critical and valuable export of Tyre. There are heraldic similarities and customs galore which we will continue to show. The purpose of adding these tidbits to all the other ones I have covered in other books is to demonstrate two things. First and foremost (for the purposes of this book), we can see academics and science are frequently wrong. Wrong, and motivated! Secondarily there is the matter of megaliths and henges, Pyramids and dolmen or Round Towers that are all over the World. They are key components of the Neolithic Library system that encompassed all the ‘Brotherhood’ of man in a spiritual and growth oriented culture of tolerance and egalitarian morals.

NOTES:

1) Darwin’s Century, Evolution and the Man Who Discovered It., by Loren Eisely, 1958, Doubleday, 1961, pg. 187.

2) Sea Routes to Polynesia, by Thor Heyerdahl, with editorial notes by Karl Jettmar, Ph.D., Professor of Ethnology, Univ. of Heidelberg, and a foreword by Hans W: son Ahlmann, Ph. D. former President of the International Geographical Union, 1968, Futura Publ., ed., 1974. brings us Knicke (1885, p.136) from pg. 73.

3) Ibid, Wittmack, (1880, p.176).

4) Ibid, Wittmack, (1886, 1888).

5) Ibid, Hutchinson, Silow and Stephens (1947, pg.138).

6) Ibid, Sauer (1950, p.502).

7) Ibid, Stoner and Anderson, (1949, p.392).

8) Ibid, Whitaker and Bird (1949, pg.2.).

9) Ibid, Sauer (1950, pg.499).

10) Ibid, Merrill (1950, pp.9-10).

11) Ibid, pgs. 73-76.

Author of Diverse Druids
Columnist for The ES Press Magazine

Guest ‘expert’ at World-Mysteries.com

Paralegal Schools - Leave No Stone Unturned

Anyone with even a faint familiarity with the law understands that for a lawyer to practice law they must pass the bar exam. On the other hand, few realize that another key player in most law offices today; the paralegal, is not required to pass any type of post graduation test to enter the field. That’s right, after nearly a half century of existence the paralegal position is still an unlicensed profession. Certainly, the importance of becoming certified has increased and gained stature but the fact remains that becoming certified is still voluntary.

Key steps to quickly and correctly evaluate the value of a paralegal program:

1. Paralegal degree programs need to teach both legal concepts and theory alongside usable, hands-on job skills. A solid paralegal school curriculum should also stress a wide range of topics from legal contracts and litigation to legal writing, legal research, torts and ethics. The really exceptional paralegal schools will focus on the entire development of their students’ by refining and honing their critical thinking abilities and by offering them the opportunity to gain valuable real-world experience through and internship or practicum.

2. Unquestioned belief to the value of the paralegal position within the legal field, from both the program director and the faculty, is essential. Plus, both the paralegal school “dean” and the teachers need to have the desired scholastic accreditation to run the program and to teach the curriculum. In a perfect world, the “dean” would have a law degree and the teachers would be considered “experts” in their fields with an advanced paralegal degree and measurable experience.

3. Distance learning, also called online learning is becoming all the rage but is getting your paralegal degree or paralegal certificate from an online paralegal school right for you? Online learning is clearly different than traditional campus based learning but regardless of how the information is delivered (i.e. interactive video, tele-courses, etc.) the student / teacher interaction isn’t the same. Plus, online learning takes more self-discipline and motivation than campus learning and you have to make the determination that you have what it takes to complete the assignments.

Fine, your goal is to become a lawyer, but rather than take the so-called “traditional route” of going directly to law school, why not get your paralegal degree first. The benefits are many; like making contacts within the industry, getting a feel and an understanding for the field of law before you plunk down big bucks and 4 years of life and who knows; you may like being a paralegal so much that you’ll never want to leave. Think about it!

Visit http://www.totalparalegal.com/paralegal_schools.html for more information paralegal schools.

A Hidden Oriental Jewel: “100% Chinese Hand-Made Silk Embroidery”

Introduction

Do you know what “silk embroidery is? Do you know what it looks like? Many people I come across in the U.S. are either unaware or unfamiliar with what silk embroidery is. Moreover, for the few who are familiar with this specialized Chinese skill, I have discovered that they do not have a true knowledge and appreciation for this fine Chinese art form. Thus, the implication can be made that “silk embroidery” is truly a “Hidden Oriental Jewel” that has been under appreciated in the West due mainly to the fact that the common person is ignorant of the time, effort, and skill required to create high-quality “silk embroidery” works. Hence, the purpose of this article will be to inform and educate you (whether the art lover or the common person) on: What is silk embroidery?, How it is made?, How to appreciate it?, etc. My hope is that you will acquire an appreciation for the uniqueness and value of this oft-overlooked Chinese art. Whether an art lover or not, I think you will come to appreciate the value of this “Hidden Oriental Jewel.”

What is Silk Embroidery?

Silk embroidery is a type of Oriental wall art that results from the traditional Chinese skill of pulling fine strands of colored silk through a canvas to create a beautiful work of art. The most common way to enjoy silk embroidery is as a framed, wall-hanging object. Hence, it is ideal as a gift, collectible, home decoration, souvenir, or office piece. The art of skill embroidery originated in China and has been practiced there for over 3,800 years. It reached a high level early in the Qing and Han dynasties, with silk and silk embroidery being the main products transported along the ancient Chinese Silk Road.

China was one of the first countries to transform embroidery into an advanced art form. The use of special embroidery techniques and styles sets apart Chinese embroidery from embroidery created in other parts of the world. In the past, embroidery skills were considered to be an essential skill every woman was to possess. A woman who could create a high-quality embroidery piece was admired and well-respected. Women from rich families took on embroidery as a hobby while those from poor families did it for a living. Today, high-quality embroidery works are treated on the same level as the best Chinese paintings and Tang/Song Dynasty poems

How To Appreciate Silk Embroidery?

Whether you’re an “art lover” or the “common person,” you’ll come to appreciate the value of silk embroidery once you learn of the skill and effort that goes into creating each piece. To create a high quality piece, an artist must split a single silk thread into several thinner threads. It can be split into 12 to 48 thinner strands - depending on how fine the artist wants to be with his/her piece. The embroiderer then stitches layer after layer using threads of a variety of colors to reach the final wonderful effect. Embroiderers are known to take frequent breaks - every 10 to 15 minutes - to rest their eyes due to the strenuous nature of their work.

Due to the labor-intensiveness of the work, some larger and more intricate pieces of embroidery may require a year to a year and a half to complete by an artist or group of artists. Those works sell for thousands of dollars, - which is reasonable - considering the skill and time involved in creating the work. Of course, smaller pieces are available that are of high quality yet sell for much less.

Four Types of Silk Embroidery
The adoption of different needling methods through the years has resulted in four distinctive embroidery styles in China:

1) “Su” embroidery of Jiangsu Province - known for its delicacy and elegance, this style is usually very simple, highlighting a main theme. Its stitching is smooth, dense, thin, neat, even, delicate and harmonious. The thin thread is divided into up to 48 strands that are barely visible to the naked eye. Su embroidery is where double-sided embroidery originated. Su embroidery products were sent to participate in the Panama World Fair in 1915.

2) “Xiang” embroidery of Hunan Province - became the main craft in places around Changsha, capital city of Hunan Province, in the Qing Dynasty. Xiang embroidery was developed from Hunan folk embroidery methods, but it also drew on the skills of Su embroidery and Yue embroidery. This method uses loose colorful threads to embroider the pattern with the stitches being not as neat as those of other embroidery styles. The various colored threads are mixed together, showing a gradual change in color with a rich and harmonious tone. Designs on Xiang embroidery mostly derive from traditional Chinese paintings of landscapes, human figures, flowers, birds and animals. The most common designs on Xiang embroidery are lions and tigers. The tigers appear strong and bold, revealing their power and menace as a king of animals. Xiang embroidery won the best award in the Torino World Fair in Italy in 1912 and the First Award in the Panama World Fair in 1933.

3) “Yue” embroidery of Guangdong Province - is rich and complicated in content with bright colors and strong decorative effects. The embroidery is smooth and even. One type, gold and silver cushion embroidery, creates a magnificent three-dimensional effect. Yue embroidery has a wide range of designs, the most common ones being birds worshipping the sun, dragons and phoenixes.

4) “Shu” embroidery of Sichuan Province - are mostly found in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province. They are made with soft satins and colored threads as the raw materials are embroidered by hand. The varied stitching methods form their unique local style. Designs on Shu embroidery include flowers, birds, landscapes, fish, worms and human figures. The products themselves include quilt covers, pillow covers, back cushions, table cloths, scarves and handkerchiefs.

Western-Style Silk Embroidery

Western-style silk embroidery occurs as the result of an
artist using fine silk strands and needles to accurately
reproduce famous Western-style oil paintings (see figure 2)
- like Van Gogh and Da Vinci. It is truly amazing how an
embroidery artist can literally take silk strands and create
a silk reproduction of a well-known artist’s oil painting.

Essentially, the artist paints with fine silk strands instead
of painting with oil. Think about it . . . does this not perhaps
require more skill than painting with oil itself? Despite the
difference in materials and technique, one thing about a
silk embroidery work is that - from a distance - it can very
much resemble a work of oil painting .

From up close, however, one can notice the colorful
patterns and detailed stitching in a silk embroidery work.
In fact, the colors will appear more bright and lively than
the usually duller colors of an oil painting.

Double-Sided Silk Embroidery

Double-sided silk embroidery is the result of an advanced embroidery technique in which the artist stitches on both sides of a single transparent silk canvas. The embroidered design displays on both the front and back sides of the fabric and does not show the joints in the stitching. Such a work is normally mounted as a screen on a wooden frame. A special feature about double-sided silk embroidery is that you can enjoy the artist’s handiwork from either side of the picture.

How To Mount & Store Silk Embroidery

Mounting a piece of silk embroidery can be an art in and of itself.

Hard Mounting - is most suitable for small to medium-sized embroidery pieces. It involves mounting the piece on a wooden board or frame with a front protective glass. The mounting technique is relatively easy to master.

Soft Mounting - is most suitable for larger pieces. It involves mounting the embroidery piece on a large sheet of paper with a silk border. The mounting technique is very difficult to master. As a result, due to the nature of the mounting technique, a piece with soft mounting is more valuable.

Storing - be sure to wrap embroidery pieces in a container that protects it from moths. Also, embroidery should not be exposed to strong light - especially sunshine - for an extended period of time. Moreover, the environment should be neither too wet nor too dry.

Recommended Reading

1) Art of Oriental Embroidery: History, Aesthetics, &… by Young Yang Chung.

2) Painting with a Needle: Learning the Art of Silk Embroidery… by Young Yang Chung

This article was written by Raymond Yuen of Eternal Imports (EI). EI specializes in the provision of unique, hand-made, quality products from around the world. You may check them out at http://www.rejoiceinarts.com

Getting College Diplomas Online

In today’s fast-paced world, the overall importance of education continues to be on the rise, and even though the rate of high school dropouts is now lower compared to how they once were, there are also those who have chosen to get their GED instead. Regardless of the circumstances, nowadays, whether we have a job or are busy raising kids, it is possible to get college diplomas without leaving our jobs or families behind.

With online and computer college courses, people can now get college diplomas like they were not able to get them a couple of years ago: through internet college courses. Several internet college courses do not cost a lot, while others might. The ones that don’t cost a lot are typically the ones which entail major degrees. But within such circumstances, financial aid is still available to people who qualify without having to go to classrooms.

In several cases, people meet all of the criteria for the college they choose to attend and earn their college diplomas as their online college course pay for some of the costs. There are also those that provide online college courses with high down payments at the start and monthly payments after that, for as long as the online course takes.

Several major colleges online are accredited for their offered college courses and several of them even have the means to use virtual technology. Either way, online college courses are legitimate and can be done at a personal pace.

In several cases, tests will be sent through e-mail, so you can print them, take the required tests, and send them back through air mail; this would usually be the final exams. Initial online college courses are only done with a computer and any assignments is handed in through e-mail. The assignments’ results will be sent back to you through e-mail.

Every learning tool is usually available through the computer, as well, depending on which online college courses you decide to take. You will either be able to access particular websites or search for things your online college courses ask you to.

After the permitted allotted time to finish your online college course, there will be a need to prepare for your final exams. If you aren’t prepared and end up failing, you may be given the opportunity to retake them, though other circumstances will require you to retake the entire course. However, this would depend on your choice of online college courses to take, as well as how well you actually do.

Shadows Boxing

Towards the end of Million Dollar Baby the character Scraps, ex boxing great turned gym porter, says of a character who has been away from the gym for a while, “And then a ghost walked in.” This is an inadvertant commentary on almost all the principal characters in the film, and thier relationships to each other.

Scraps (Morgan Freeman) is a ghost for Frankie (Clint Eastwood), as is Maggie (Hillary Swank) - the former because he lost sight in one eye in a match, many years ago, partly due to Frankie, and the latter because as time goes on she becomes a surrogate for his long gone daughter who refuses to reconcile with him (we are not told exactly what went wrong between Frankie and his daughter, though we see that he has a shoebox full of letters he sent her marked RETURN TO SENDER).

Frankie goes to Mass every day; the priest tells him, “Write to your daughter.” Scraps and Maggie bond because both have been trained by Frankie. Scraps and Maggie, without knowing it, become mirrors of each other, each having been gravely hurt in boxing matches with Frankie as their manager. Yet, at the same time, they mirror each other in another way - boxing is their whole life (Maggie tells Frankie at one point, “If I don’t have this, I have nothing”; Scraps literally lives in the gym, in a small space in a corner with a curtain.

He never leaves the place (Frankie invites him to come to Vegas for a fight and he says, “Do you know what this place would look like if I left it?”) Everyone whom Frankie seems to care about in his life has been gravely hurt by him - his daughter, Maggie, and Scraps. The gym is a place of vicousness and street consciousness - a bully beats an annoying punk to a bloody pulp, only to be knocked out cold in turn by Scraps. Frankie and Maggie are both on horrible terms with their immediate families, and Scraps has no family in sight;it is such a nonissue for him that none is ever even mentioned.

In this world, in these lives, the characters share much that is bleak and dismal, yet the end effect of the film on the viewer is one of hope, respect, and dignity nonetheless. Any time one character turns to another, their souls,their cores, relate - and in this way these relationships reveal to us some of the essential truths about humanity.

Peter Quinones is the author of Amethyst Secrets, published by I Universe. His website is http://www.cultureboutique.com

Honesty

Those who pride themselves on their honesty should also concern themselves with this principle: The effectiveness of honesty depends on a person’s willingness to face the truth, which may conflict with this person’s desires and provoke denial.

In such a case, how can one promote this willingness, despite this conflict? The answer to this question could prove useful to anyone who seeks to be effectively honest with people in denial. Ultimately, it could benefit these people, whose denial is contrary to their best interest. I go on the assumption that truth, or the conformity of thought to reality, is the sine qua non of vital efficacy. Health, pleasure, successful careers, and harmonious relationships require that we know the needs and capabilities of our nature, and the workings of the world. The absence of this knowledge leads to accidents, illness, suffering, failure, and death. Therefore, the first object of our desires should be truth, or the knowledge of ourselves and the world around us. Why then are people often unwilling to face it?

I believe there are two reasons for this unwillingness. Firstly, the desire to know the truth, which originates in the desire to live happily, spontaneously degenerates into the desire to be right, to avoid the insecurity and shame associated with error and ignorance, and also to avoid the effort to learn. Thus fear, pride, and laziness are obstacles to the pursuit of truth and happiness. People are unlikely to admit they are wrong when they are, unless they possess courage and humility. Whoever takes their good to heart should help them develop these virtues.

Secondly, the truth may be known from experience about a happy way of life. The desire to know the truth then turns into the desire to see the truth last. Mental inertia becomes the law, proportional to the force of attraction exerted on the mind by this happy way of life. Any upheaval that breaks the status quo is denied: “I cannot believe it; this cannot be happening.” Reality is deemed unreal because it no longer tallies with the desired truth. Denial can therefore be regarded as a deviant process that conforms facts to ideas, instead of the opposite. Reason is overthrown and emotions reign, as one strives to prove reality wrong to spare oneself the loss of a happy way of life and the pursuit of another, this loss and this pursuit being associated with grief, strain, and doubt, or even despair.

To help a person acknowledge an undesired truth about a radical change in reality, one has to couple honesty with wisdom to heighten this person’s awareness of the human capacity for adaptation. This capacity is best illustrated by the example of people who have suffered a terrible misfortune and progressively discovered a new outlook and a new happiness, more enlightened and satisfying than the old ones. In addition, one has to stimulate the will of this person, who is left with a formidable challenge: to start her or his life over. Lastly, this heightened awareness and this stimulated will may weaken at times, calling for reinforcement. All in all, against the unwillingness to face the truth, the effectiveness of honesty is always difficult and uncertain.

Laurent Grenier’s career as a writer and philosopher spans over twenty years. During this time he has broadened and deepened his worldview, through much reflection and study, and in the end has crafted A REASON FOR LIVING, his best work to date.

Official web site: laurentgrenier.com/ARFL.html

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